I'll be Home for Christmas
by Winged Monkey
Summary: First of the Holiday Trilogy. All Leo wanted to do was a little Christmas shopping. However, he ran into much more than he ever bargined for. Rated T for safety
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: This is (obviously) a Christmas story. Unlike some, there is no 'moral to the story' or really any other reason for it to be a Christmas story other than it is set around that time. I sat down to write the next chapter of "In the Clutch of Evil," but this is what came out instead. I hope you enjoy it._

**Disclaimer: I don't own the TMNT, the lyrics to "I'll be Home for Christmas," the Srgnt. Frog manga series, Radio Shack, or Ghost Busters.**

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* * *

_

_Steel._

_Forged from the depths of fire – pounded, folded, and pounded__ again__ until it is just right.__ It is made into two parts, the inner and the outer. Inside is soft and flexible; outside is hard and strong. Together, the two parts form a blade so strong and sharp that it could be considered to be invincible. _

_It is so like him in so many ways. I used to think I loved him, but oh so fine is the line between love and hate. Therefore, I am now planning his destruction._

Karai stared blankly down at the page before her. She knew the result that she desired, but had only a few random ideas about how to obtain it floating around in her mind. Unfortunately, not one of the ideas was worth a snap. She could easily see their failed outcomes. She refused to waste precious resources on a plan that she knew would only be doomed to failure. She looked up, staring aimlessly out of her limousine's window as it drove her from another boring business meeting back to the Foot Headquarters.

It was only a day after Thanksgiving and all of New York City was already preparing to celebrate Christmas. She hated that these Americans could so easily turn another holiday meant for bringing families together into another retail rush of madness. But then again, her native people did the same thing. So did almost the entire world.

Absentmindedly, Karai began twirling a strand of hair around her forefinger. A much more substantial plot began forming in the back of her mind. _Christmas._She knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that her most hated enemies celebrated that holiday. And she had just figured out how to use that to her advantage.

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* * *

Oh, I'll be home for Christmas.  
__You can count on me.  
__Please have snow and mistletoe  
__And presents under the tree._

_Christmas Eve will find me  
__Where the love-light gleams  
__Yeah I'll be home for Christmas  
__If only in my dreams._

Leonardo walked around, humming and singing softly to himself. He loved Christmas. In fact, his entire family did. Around this time of year, Donatello always had some sort of gleam in his eye and banned everyone from his work room where he was usually creating some wonderful surprise for them. Michelangelo became even more excited and talkative, but somehow less annoying. Even Raphael was friendlier towards all of his family. Leonardo himself didn't really care about the actual holiday. He was happy because his family was happy. And if his family was happy, that was all that mattered.

He readjusted his deep blue scarf as he continued walking along in the snow. That was one nice thing about the American North-east. All this snow meant that everyone else was bundled up as much as he was, making him much less conspicuous. And thank goodness, too, or he'd never get any of his shopping done. Like all of the turtles, Leo rarely had very much – if any – money. However, he usually saved what he did have in order to find just that right gift for his brothers and sensei. This year, he would try to find something for April and Casey as well. The turtle smiled happily to himself as he walked into the mostly empty mall. At twenty minutes before closing, he didn't have much time. However, there were not very many people at that time either.

He would start with Michelangelo since he was the easiest to buy for. Leo walked into a game and comic book shop, hoping to find something that would fit in his price range. He was the only customer in the shop.

"So, can I help ya, dude?" the kid behind the counter asked.

"Oh, um, yes," the disguised turtle replied, doing his best to keep the kid from seeing the strip of green skin between the hat and the scarf. "Do you carry any of the Justice Force comics?"

The kid leaned back in his chair behind the counter. "Sorry, man, we're fresh out. Those always go first, y'know? An' I know for a fact that all the other stores're out too. Sorry 'bout that."

Leonardo sighed in disappointment. "Do you know when you'll be getting any more in?"

"Not until January's issue comes out."

The turtle winced. "Then can you recommend another comic that's just as good?"

"Dude, there aren't any _comics_ that are as good as the Justice Force, but maybe you'd like to try some manga?"

"Japanese comics?"

"Yeah, that's right. Have you read any?"

"Nope. I'm just trying to find something for my little bro."

"Ahh. Gotcha," the clerk responded with a wink. "I'd suggest this one, then. It's really funny." He handed a small book to Leonardo.

"Sergeant Frog?" the turtle read off of the cover. "It's perfect. I'll take it."

"M'kay, dude. That'll be five bucks."

Leonardo handed over the money and took the bag with the book. He headed out and to the next store. Glancing quickly at a clock hanging in the back of one of the stores he was passing, Leo saw that he only had fifteen minutes left and he had no idea what he would get for anyone else.

He walked passed a Radio Shack. _Maybe I could find something for Donnie in there._ Keeping his head down, he entered the electronics store. After several minutes of looking, Leo was beginning to think that he wouldn't find anything within his six-dollar budget. He walked down one last aisle, ready to give up on this store and try the next. Suddenly, he spotted a bunch of small gadgets in a bin marked "Sale." He rummaged through it quickly and pulled up a laser pointer. The tag on it said that it was on sale for five-twenty-five. Adding the sales tax would put it just under the turtle's meager budget. Quickly checking out, he glanced at the wall of atomic clocks and was dismayed to see that the mall would only be open for another three minutes. _Oh well. I usually don't get it all done in one day, anyway._

Holding his two precious bags tightly, he hurried through the mall only a minute before closing. The cold winter air felt frigid when blasted up against him as he stepped from the heated building and onto the sidewalk. That, he assumed, was the cause of the sudden prickling on the back of his neck.

Leonardo walked along under the strands of lights that were strung from one side of the street to the other. As a ninja, he should have cared that he was far from the protection of the shadows; but as a simple teenager, he felt as though for at least one night the world could take care of itself. A light snow began to fall and the prickling at the back of his neck returned. The turtle tensed. That sensation was kind of like an early warning system for him, even if his mind wasn't paying complete attention. He glanced around and saw nothing on the ground or on the rooftops. The falling snow seemed to be deadening the harsh sounds that normally filled this part of the city at night. _Unfortunately,_ Leonardo realized, _it also quiets footsteps._ He picked up his pace. The sooner that he could be home, the better.

He took one last glance behind him as he slipped into a small, dark alley. He knelt down and pried open the manhole cover. There was a soft thud and Leonardo looked up. He was surrounded by dozens of Foot as well as the leader of the Foot Elite.

"How nice of you to drop in," the turtle growled. He made ready to escape into the sewers when he noticed that there was another swarm of the enemy ninjas waiting for him below.

"Just like old times; but this time it's going to end much differently," he said, thinking back to the night when the Shredder had ambushed him.

"That's what you think!" The Elite lowered his weapon towards the turtle. "ATTACK!"

Leonardo unsheathed one of his katana as the human clothes fell off of him, giving him more flexibility. He tucked the shopping bags into his belt and charged forwards, ducking under a shurikin while drawing his second sword.

"Sorry I didn't have time to buy you a present. You'll just have to be satisfied with these!"

He swung around, knocking the swords out of some of the approaching ninja's hands. He then sprang backwards, embedding his swords in the ground. From there, he sprang back forwards, using the katana tsuka and tsuba for leverage as he propelled himself into the ninja's chests. Yet as those ones fell back, more came forwards. They were wearing some sort of tank on their back and were wielding long, clear tubes. Leo looked at them pityingly.

"What happened, you got tired of the Foot and decided to become Ghost Busters or something?"

The turtle could tell that the Elite was smiling wickedly as he lunged at him. As he parried the blow, the Elite replied, "Ghost Busters? No. Turtle Busters? Yes."

Leonardo kicked the Elite back into the alley's brick wall. The enemy ninja crumpled and slid to the ground. For a moment, the Foot stepped back from him, but still stood surrounding him in a large circle. Then the turtle noticed with horror that they were each wearing the strange packs and each had leveled their tubes at him. That was when he realized that they had not stepped back out of fear.

Leo leapt to attack, but as he moved to slice, they fired the strange weapons. A blast of coldness slammed into the turtle. He surged forwards, but could feel his strength slowly ebbing away. He managed to disable one of the ninja, but more were waiting to take that one's place. Blast after icy blast hit the turtle and he was now struggling just to remain conscious. He mentally cursed being cold-blooded as his eye-lids sagged and his body limply tumbled forwards. Numbly, his brain faintly registered many hands grabbing him as he slipped out of consciousness.

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_tsuka_--hilt  
_tsuba_--hand guard

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Please review. Flames will be used to warm hands. 


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Aww, you guys are all so nice! Thanks SO MUCH!!! I hope you all like the second chapter as much as the first. Please tell me either way! _:)

**Disclaimer: I do not own the TMNT or any of their associates**

* * *

"Wake-y, wake-y," a taunting voice called out through the darkness.

Painfully, Leonardo forced his eyelids to slide open. His arms were tied behind his shell with a long chain that ran up to the ceiling. It was partially suspending him with his face a couple of inches off of the ground. The turtle groaned. He was pretty sure that at least one of his shoulders was dislocated from being in this position. His mask was missing. Plus, he was cold. Really, really cold.

"WAKE UP!" the voice yelled into his ear-hole.

Leonardo barely managed to stifle a scream as something suddenly collided with his arm. If his shoulder hadn't been dislocated before, it certainly was now. A gloved hand grabbed his head and forced him to look into its owner's face. Leo found himself staring into Karai's deep black eyes. A small moan escaped his lips as she let his head fall back down.

* * *

Donatello glanced worriedly at the time on the VCR. Leonardo had just gone out to do some Christmas shopping, but that was several hours ago and Donatello greatly doubted that there were many stores open at one fifty in the morning. Leo was known for being out late to patrol the city, but he usually would have checked in if he had any intention of doing that. The brainy turtle pondered what to do.

Michelangelo was lying next to him on the couch, sleeping like a baby. Master Splinter was in his room, presumably also sleeping. Don tilted his head slightly as he heard someone moving quietly around in another room. Hoping that it was a returning Leo, he stood up from the easy chair and followed the sounds. As soon as he entered the dojo, he sighed, realizing that it was Raphael beating up his punching bag.

"Hey Raph. Have you heard from Leo?"

"Nope."

"He hasn't come home yet."

"So?"

Donatello walked over to his brother. "Leo just went out to do some Christmas shopping."

"So?"

"It's two in the morning. The stores closed about three and a half hours ago."

That got Raphael's attention. "Have you asked Mikey or Master Splinter if they've heard from 'im?"

"I know Mikey hasn't since I've been with him all evening, and I would think that Sensei would have said something."

"True," Raphael conceded. "Tried calling him yet?

"I was just about to do that."

Don pressed the speed dial for Leo's number and held the shell cell up to his ear hole. The call went straight to the answering machine.

"His phone's off," he announced after trying again.

The two brothers looked at each other.

"I think we'd better wake up Splinter."

The old rat listened carefully to what his two sons reported.

"Donatello, you are able to track the phones, correct?"

"Yes, Master."

"Then I suggest that you start. I fear something has happened to Leonardo."

"On it, Sensei." Donatello bowed quickly and hurried out of the room.

"Raphael, we need to wake Michelangelo. I have a very bad feeling about this situation. We must be ready the moment Donatello has located Leonardo."

Raphael nodded his head, stood up, and walked out of Splinter's room and into the entertainment area.

"Wake up, dip-stick."

He slapped Mikey on the back of the head while at the same time grabbing the remote and flicking off the corny made-for-TV movie that was playing.

"Hey! I was watching that!" Michelangelo muttered sleepily.

"Yeah, sure ya were."

"Go 'way, Raph. I need my beauty sleep."

"Get up, bone-head. Leo's missin'."

"WHAT?" The orange-clad turtle almost fell off of the couch.

"You heard me. Now get yer lazy bum up. We're goin' to go find him."

Mikey leapt up. "Then what are we waiting for?"

"Donnie's trackin' his shell cell right now. He should find 'im soon."

Just then, Donatello walked up to his brothers, the tracker in his hands.

"I'm getting a really weird reading, guys. The signal is really weak, and I'm getting several of the same signals coming from almost the same place—they're only a couple of inches apart. Also, it's not moving. The shell cell must be broken or something."

"So where's the place?"

"Let me show you." Donatello laid out a map. "It's in an alley close to the mall," he pointed to the location.

"Well, I dunno about you guys, but I ain't just goin' ta sit around an' wait for Leo to come home!"

Raphael withdrew his two sai and stabbed at the air for effect.

"I agree, Raphael." Master Splinter walked out of his room. "Go and find your brother. If he returns while you are out, I will contact you."

* * *

The Battle Shell sped down the street towards the alley. The three turtles inside were almost dreading what they would find when they arrived. The vehicle skidded to a stop and they all got out.

"In there," Donatello pointed, after consulting his tracker.

The three turtles cautiously crept into the alley. Due to a fresh layer of snow, there were no footprints except for their own. Leonardo definitely was not there. At first glance, there was nothing else there either. However, using his tracker, Donatello began to sweep the ground. Feeling useless and helpless, Raphael and Michelangelo also began poking around.

"Hey, look at this."

Raphael walked over to where a gleam had caught his eye and pulled out a shurikin that was embedded in the brick wall. He turned it over in his hands and eyed the familiar symbol that was etched on it.

"It's definitely from the Foot."

Donatello suddenly stopped and began to feel around in the snow. Finding what he was looking for, he pulled up half of Leonardo's shell cell. It looked like it had been forcibly torn from the other half since several wires were sticking out of it.

Meanwhile, Michelangelo had spotted the edge of a colorful bag sticking out from under a snow bank. As he brushed the white powder off of it, he saw another bag. He peered inside both of them.

"Donnie, I can tell you what you're getting for Christmas."

Donatello looked at him. "How do you know that?"

Mikey held up the red and white bag. "Why else would there be a perfectly good laser pointer in here?"

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_So please review! Flames will be used to warm my feet!_


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Again, thank you all so much. You are all really sweet!_

**Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own the turtles or any of the other characters.**

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"There's only one reason I'm even bothering keeping you alive, Leonardo." Karai turned her back on him. "You could say that this is my Christmas present to myself. How does it feel to be bait?"

"What happened to Christmas spirit, Karai?" Leo managed to spit out.

Karai snorted. "You mean love, joy, peace, and good will? I haven't had anything to do with those in a long time."

"Why not?"

"I don't need to explain myself to you, of all people, Leonardo. You know as well as I do."

"That…was the past. Something neither…of us…wanted."

The turtle's voice was coming in gasps as he struggled to keep himself in check.

Karai's eyes narrowed. She spun around and yanked open the cell door. Glancing over her shoulder at the turtle's injured form, she summoned several Foot ninja to guard the door.

"Make sure that the temperature in here never rises above fifty-five degrees Fahrenheit."

She stormed off, leaving Leonardo in the cell.

* * *

"Unfortunately, guys, there's only one logical assumption that we can make," Donatello announced.

"But, but it's Leo we're talking about here," Michelangelo interjected. "He, like, never loses."

"Then why ain't he here?" Raphael demanded. "We all know he can beat any of them stinkin' Foots—"

"Don't you mean Feet, Raph?"

"Actually in Japanese, a plural is generally the same as the singular form, Mikey. Being that the Foot is Japanese, it would make sense for the plural to also be 'Foot.'"

"Thanks fer the language lesson, brainiac," Raphael growled sarcastically. "But that ain't goin' ta help us find Leo."

"Let's try the roofs," Donatello suggested, pointing up. "That would be the most logical place for him to go from here."

"But what about the sewers?"

"Knowing Leo, he wouldn't want to risk accidentally leading the Foot to us. After all, we're all used to going out in the sewers by ourselves, but we always let each other know when we go topside."

"True dat, Donnie," Michelangelo agreed.

Raphael inhaled sharply as a glimmer suddenly caught his eye. He leapt to the other side of a dumpster and reached behind it.

"I don't think we'll need ta go to the roof, Don."

He pulled out two, blue-bound katana. Tied around them was a strip of blue fabric – Leonardo's mask.

* * *

Karai sank back into her plush desk chair, rubbing her temples. Why did it always have to be so hard to deal with Leonardo? Seeing him so injured, so helpless, had given her a moment of complete perverse joy, but he had ruined it the moment he opened his mouth. Her thoughts kept returning to what he had said to her. _Why not?_

"Yes indeed, why not is truly the question," she muttered to herself. Then she slapped herself on the face. _How dare you think such traitorous thoughts! Such emotions are only weakness! They are why you could not protect your own father from him in the first place. He destroyed everything you ever desired!_

With a deep sigh, Karai ran a hand through her short, ebony hair and tried to calm her thoughts. Leaning forwards, she set her elbows down on her large, mahogany desk. Without truly seeing, she stared out of the window at the last traces of the most recent snow flurry.

_How did I become like this? Why does this anger consume me so fully?_

Sitting back, she withdrew her simple, black-bound tanto and stared, mesmerized, by its blade. Her own reflection caught her eye, and she noticed the wrinkles forming on her once- unworried forehead and the bags that were appearing under her eyes.

_What have I become?_

There was a soft knock on her door.

"Come in," she called wearily.

A lone Foot soldier walked in and bowed stiffly to her.

"Yes, what is it?"

"It is the turtle creature, mistress."

Karai sighed inwardly. It _would_ just _have_ to be about Leonardo.

"What about the turtle?"

"He's, um, well…"

"Just spit it out," Karai muttered crossly.

"Well, he seems to be _singing_, mistress."

"Singing?" Karai raised one eyebrow.

"Really quietly, but he's definitely singing."

"And why did you come to tell me that?"

"I thought, that is, err, _we_ thought you might want to know." The ninja cringed under Karai's harsh glare.

"And _why_ did you think such a thought?"

"He's singing 'I'll be Home for Christmas.' He might be trying to escape."

"I see. You may go now." Karai dismissed him with a wave of her hand.

* * *

"Hurry up, Don," Mikey begged, from the driver's seat of the Battle Shell.

They were zooming along as fast as was safe on the icy street, heading towards the Foot's headquarters. Donatello was currently stuffing his duffle full of his techno-gizmos. The purple-clad turtle shook his head doubtfully.

"We need a plan. I have the various things we might need and can access the blueprints from the computer here, but without a plan, it will be almost impossible to succeed."

"I'll give ya a plan," Raphael growled, twirling his sai. "We get in, bash the crud outa Karai an' some Foot, find Leo, an' get the shell out."

Donatello didn't even look up at his hot-headed brother. "Yes, but how and where do we get in, fight an entire Foot army and win—probably twice, once for the way in and once for the way out—locate Leo, and then get out alive?"

A big grin spread across Raphael's face. "Very carefully."

"Last time we stormed this place, we had both Master Splinter and Leo with us. Now, we don't have either."

"Should we go get Sensei?" Michelangelo asked, lightly touching the breaks.

"No," Raphael insisted. "We've gotten along jus' fine without Leo's plans before. We're goin' ta get 'im out tonight! There ain't no way we're goin' ta leave him with Karai a second longer than we've got ta."

The windshield wipers began to squeak horribly as they searched for a drop of water to lubricate their passage across the windshield.

"Mikey, can you turn that damn squeak off?" Raphael demanded.

"Fine," the orange-clad turtle grumbled. "We're pretty much here anyway."

The crescent moon appeared briefly through the dark clouds overhead as they stopped one block away from the stronghold of their most hated enemy.

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_So please review! Flames will be used to warm me (and Moogs since she asked) up. Have I mentioned it's cold here?_


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: Thank you all so much for reading. Your reviews were very sweet! Just to let you know, I have finals during the next two weeks, so I don't know how much writing I'll get done. I'll do as much as I can to get new chapters up pretty regularly. Enjoy!_

**Disclaimer: I don't own the TMNT**

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A small, cold tear trickled down Leonardo's face. Numbness was slowly replacing the pain that filled his body.

_Not now,_ he thought. _Not at Christmas. I can't let anything happen now. They all love Christmas so much. If anything happens now, they'll be devastated for the rest of their lives. I can't let that happen. I can't let Karai win. From the sounds of it, she's planning a trap. But how can I do anything about it like this? I don't even know where my brothers are or if they've even missed me._

He was suddenly aware of the door cracking slightly open. He didn't look up as a pair of boots came towards him.

"You know, the last phrase is "if only in my dreams." That's as much of 'home' you will be getting for the rest of your short life."

Karai began to run her now-bare hand along the edge of the scar on Leonardo's shell. That was the place she had stabbed him. She felt the turtle stiffen as she reached the tenderest part of his back that was once under his now-missing piece of shell.

"We both still feel those days," she murmured in a voice that was barely audible to her captive. "Our scars both run deep." Her hand wandered down to his face, catching the dampness of his tear. "You have been separated from your family for only a few hours, but mine has been gone for too long."

She withdrew her hand and walked back towards the door. As she placed her hand on the handle, she hesitated for a moment. Then, she opened it up and walked out.

* * *

"Here, here, and here." 

Donatello pointed to three spots on the blueprint that he had pulled up on his computer screen.

"Those're the _only_ ways in, Don?" Michelangelo asked. "They won't be very good for getting in without being seen."

"Karai designed most of this building with only a little help from the Shredder, Mike," Donatello explained. "You know how paranoid she gets."

"What 'bout this here?" Raphael pointed to a small air vent halfway up.

Donatello shook his head. "It's guarded by five-inch metal bars. Even with a blowtorch, it would take me a good hour to make a large enough opening for any of us to get through. Also, the ducts in this building are made of soft plastic that is almost impossible to climb through."

"We got in last time without anyone seeing us," the youngest reminded them.

"Yes, but last time they weren't expecting up. It was in the middle of a party and we got in through the roof."

"Leo got in here before without anyone seeing him after that, and Karai _was_ expecting him to show up sometime," Michelangelo insisted.

"Leo got in through the roof, too. If Karai kept the layout the same as the first time we were here, the holding cells are in the basement. Going through the roof is probably the longest route, and we'll most likely be noticed the second we get there."

"Then we jus' fight our way down 'till we get ta him." Raphael sheathed his sai and headed towards the van's back door. "I dunno 'bout you guys, but I'm not jus' goin' ta sit 'round an' talk. I'm goin' up to the roof. You comin'?"

* * *

Karai walked into her soldier's dojo. Instantly, all fights stopped and the ninja bowed to her. She nodded her head in recognition. 

"Tonight," she called out, "we have captured one of our most hated enemies, the turtle Leonardo. However, the other three are bound to be coming to get him back. I need you all on full alert. Five ninja must be at every post and every entrance must be heavily guarded. I want a full squad on every level. The turtles must be captured, though whether they are dead or alive matters not. Now go!"

Most of the Foot sped off to their posts. Karai's own two personal body guards knelt down before her, waiting for further instructions.

"You two must come with me. I will be staying in the cell with Leonardo. If the turtles should somehow make it past every soldier, we must be ready for them. Yet, they will fall. Their concern for their brother's life shall be their undoing."

* * *

Raphael, Michelangelo, and Donatello knelt behind the brick wall surrounding the roof of a nearby building. Every now and again, one of them would peak over at the neighboring rooftop. In brief moments of light as clouds cleared away from the moon for brief moments, they could the dark uniforms of Foot soldiers standing out starkly against the pure white snow. The two of the three were currently engaged in quietly biting each other's heads off. 

"I say we jus' go down there an' knock 'em out real quiet like."

"Raph," Donatello said, aggravated, "there's twelve of them, all within eyesight of each other. It would be suicide!"

"I've taken down more goons than that jus' by m'self," Raphael growled.

"It's not a matter of taking them down; it's a matter of them not alerting our presence to the rest of the Foot army inside."

"Uh, guys?" Mikey tried to interrupt.

Neither Don nor Raph noticed.

"So ya jus' goin' ta give up jus' like that?"

"Who said I was giving up? I'm just trying to think of the most logical—"

"Logic ain't always the answer!"

"GUYS!" Michelangelo hissed, trying again to get their attention.

"WHAT?" Raphael snapped testily.

"Could we just go in through the open window?"

* * *

One by one, the three turtles hopped off of the rope that they had stretched across to the open window and landed silently in the deserted hallway. 

"OK, that was almost too eas—"

Donatello was cut off as Michelangelo slapped his hand over his brother's mouth.

"Shh! Don't jinx us!"

They looked carefully around the dark hallway. It was filled with shadows, perfect for hiding enemy ninja. Raphael crept forwards, both of his sai drawn. All of them were listening intently for the slightest hint of a sound. Inch by inch, they moved forwards, weapons ready should they be discovered.

Suddenly, the sound of several soft footfalls running came from ahead of them. The turtles stopped for a moment, listening. As the steps drew closer, they all, as if by unspoken agreement, stepped into the deep shadows. Donatello and Raphael both continued to back up until they felt the wall against their shells. Michelangelo, however, felt himself hit something soft and fleshy. He whirled around, only to be met with a punch to the jaw. He went tumbling backwards with a thud, shock in his eyes. Five Foot-tech ninja suddenly appeared out of seemingly thin air.

"SHELL!" Donatello spat through clenched teeth.

The words that slipped out from his hot-headed brother were much stronger. The Foot-techs disappeared again. Michelangelo stood up rubbing his jaw.

"Looks like we walked right into a trap!"

"Gee, really, dipstick? And here I thought we were gettin' invited to a party."

"Oh, Har-de-har-har."

They backed into the center of the hallway, their backs against each other. Suddenly, something slammed into Donatello and he tumbled to the side. Raphael and Michelangelo both swung their weapons at the air where the attack had come from, but neither hit anything. Then, they, too, were knocked back. Invisible hands grabbed both of Raph's wrists, keeping him from stabbing the hidden ninja with his sai. The Foot-tech swung him over and threw him through the window. Raphael managed to keep himself from falling only by catching the sill with his sai. He pulled himself back up only to see a few Foot ninja running into the hallway. He leapt towards them, eager to re-enter the fray with an enemy that he could see.

As he reached his brothers, who were struggling against the invisible ninjas, several dozen more Foot surged into the fight. A number of them had what looked like leaf blowers strapped to their backs. All of the enemy ninja stopped, with the turtles in front of them. The Foot-tech appeared behind them, blocking any attempt to escape back out of the window. They were completely surrounded.

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_Please review! Flames will be used to warm up myself, Moogs and Darlantana _;) 


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: Well, the first week of finals is done, but there's still another week to go. Oh well..._

_Anyway, thanks for all the reviews, everyone. Enjoy!_

**Disclaimer: Still don't own the TMNT, though the turtles are probably glad about that**

* * *

Again the door opened into Leonardo's cell. Again, he did not look up.

"Back so soon, Karai?"

"You make it sound like you don't want to see me, Leonardo."

A smirk spread across her face and an evil gleam shone in her eye. She motioned for her two body guards to wait outside of the door. It closed with a loud bang.

"Your brothers are certain to be here very soon, Leonardo, and there is nothing you can do to help them."

Leonardo's head shot up, his hazel eyes blazing. "My brothers don't need me to beat you, Karai!"

"Ah, but you need your brothers, don't you," she taunted. "If any of them manage to make it through that door, they will be met with my knife at your throat and instantly surrender. Then, you shall watch as each one is executed right in front of you."

"NO!"

The turtle tried to struggle onto his numb feet. Karai kicked him in the side, making him fall sideways with only the chain keeping him upright. Leonardo screamed in agony as his dislocated shoulder was yanked upon. Karai grabbed the top of his head and forced him to look into her eyes. They were as cold and hard as obsidian as she hissed in his face.

"But you, Leonardo, will be forced to stay alive for year after year. _You_ will be forced to live with the guilt of knowing that despite all of your efforts, it was because of _you_ that your family died. And turtles live a very long time, I hear."

* * *

Not waiting for the Foot to make the first move, Raphael ran at the enemy ninja horde. One of them fired the strange looking device that was strapped to its back. The red-clad turtle ducked down under the blast, feeling only a light touch of cool air on the top of his shell. At the same time, Michelangelo struck out his nunchucku and smashed the cloaking device on one of the Foot-tech. Donatello leaped into the middle of a group of ninja and, holding his weapon behind his shell with his elbows, spun his bo staff around. The impact sent many of the Foot flying. 

A blast of cold air slammed into Mikey as he spun around, striking at any Foot foolish enough to come within his reach.

"Hey, dude, that is just not nice!"

He somersaulted over and slammed the end of his weapon into the face of the ninja that had fired at him. The ninja dropped to the ground, unconscious. The youngest turtle looked around, trying to catch a glimpse of his brothers, but there were too many of the Foot for him to see them.

* * *

Raphael and Donatello were side by side in the middle of the swarm. They were each taking out several ninja, but more just kept on coming. They found the course of the battle drawing them out from the little side corridor and into the main hallway. 

"You still think this is a good idea, Raph?" Donatello grunted as a punch managed to get past his defenses.

"Beats sitin' around an' doin' nuthin', right Mike?"

Raphael ducked under a ninja's kick while swinging his leg around to knock the Foot off of its supporting leg. Receiving no answer, Donatello and Raphael suddenly realized that their youngest brother wasn't with them.

* * *

"My very own parents abandoned me when I was only six years old. Do you have any idea what it feels like to know that not even your own mother wanted you?" 

Karai shoved Leonardo's face back down and began pacing back and forth.

"The Shredder was the only one who ever cared for me in any way. When you took him from me, it was…it was…just… _gon__ go __dou __dan_!" she continued, slipping back into her native language.

Her face contorted with feeling, she turned her back on the captive turtle while silently berating herself for allowing herself to become so emotional in front of her sworn enemy.

"There was…once…another person who…cared for you."

Karai was slightly startled by the soft whisper. Keeping her back turned so that it would be impossible for Leonardo to see her face, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"I know."

* * *

Another blast of the cold air hit Michelangelo. He shivered slightly as he took down the one who had blasted him. His head was starting to spin a little like it did when he would stay up three days and nights in a row in order to beat a new video game. He yawned. 

"Don't you guys know that if you're going to kidnap someone, you're supposed to do it during the day? It's not a good idea to wake me up. Even Raphie-boy would tell you that I get shella cranky."

More Foot fell to the whirling of his nunchucks. However, just as he was about to finish off another one, he was grabbed from behind by a pair of invisible arms. He struggled to get himself free, but his assailant merely squeezed tighter. Several of the ninja who were wearing the strange device lined up in front of him.

"What, you going to make me so cold that I get sick or something?"

They didn't answer as they pulled the triggers, sending frigid blasts of air hurtling into Michelangelo.

* * *

Donatello and Raphael spun around at the sound of cheering that came from back in the smaller hallway. 

"Mikey?" the purple-clad turtle called worriedly.

Using his bo, he vaulted over the heads of numerous Foot all the while trying to catch a glimpse of anything orange. As he reached the last place he had seen his only younger brother, Don could not see any signs that Michelangelo had even been there except for the unconscious and lifeless bodies lying on the floor. However, there were still many living ninja there. Seeing the returning turtle, they rushed towards him.

Raphael was doing his best to follow after Donatello, but he was also concentrating on taking down as many of the Foot as he could on his way. Luckily, there were too many ninja left for them to all attack him at once without them getting in each other's way. Unfortunately, there were quite enough to make sure that he never had a moment's respite. He stabbed one, only to have to duck under the punch of another within the same second. While blocking the blow from a katana, a punch slammed into the side of his face. He somersaulted for about three feet before springing back up. Raphael wiped the small trickle of blood from his jaw.

"That's it. You goons are SO goin' down!"

Rage filled his eyes as he continued to fight. Very few Foot lasted more than a few seconds against him. At this point, since it seemed like the legions were thinning out, Raphael turned once more to follow Donatello. The entrance to the smaller hallway was blocked by yet another row of Foot, each wielding two katana.

"You've got to be kiddin' me," he growled under his breath.

A shurikin quickly dispatched one of the swordsmen, but the others all rushed towards the turtle. They were skilled, Raphael would admit that much, but they were no match for the steel of his sai. He finished off the tenacious group only to see a Foot-tech holding a struggling Donatello over its head. As the hot-headed turtle ran to help his brother, the Foot-tech threw Don out of the open window.

Donatello barely managed to grab hold of the rope that he and his brothers had strung across the gap between the buildings. His bo staff fell and clattered on the cement far below him. Then, to his horror, another Foot-tech appeared by the window, holding a long, sharp knife.

"Goodbye turtle," it hissed as it severed the rope.

Donatello went swinging back into the building across the street. Even though he braced for the impact, it jarred him so badly that he lost his hold on the rope and went tumbling down.

"NO! DONNIE!"

Raphael ran towards the window just as the Foot-tech turned away. It was met with a swift punch in the face. The turtle looked around wildly for any sign of his second-youngest brother, but to no avail. Spinning around to confront the Foot-tech that was sneaking up behind him, his horror increased exponentially as he saw the limp form of Michelangelo, lifted up on the shoulders of two Foot, being carried around a corner.

_

* * *

Gon__ go __dou __dan_—Language's way is closed (something so bad, there are no words)

* * *

_So please review! Flames will still be spread around to warm up myself, Moogs and Darlantana._ :-) 


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: Thanks for the reviews! You guys are awesome! Well, finals are finally over so I will have much more time to focus on my stories. With luck, new chapters should be coming up pretty quickly now. Just a warning: the content of this chapter is the reason for the 'T' rating. Nothing too terrible, just mild swearing._

**Disclaimer: Still don't own them**

* * *

There was a soft tap on the cell's metal door. Leonardo could hear the sharp ring of Karai's tanto being pulled out of its sheath. The handle turned and the door opened. To both Leonardo's disappointment and relief, it was only two Foot ninja. He kept his head down as they approached. Karai slid her knife back into its sheath. 

"Good. Very good." Her voice was smug and full of malice. "Look up, Leonardo. You have a visitor."

Almost afraid of what he would see, the turtle lifted his head to look at the enemy ninja. His eyes widened with horror as he realized that they were setting down Michelangelo against the wall farthest from him. The normally happy-go-lucky turtle's eyes were shut tightly and his face was contorted in a terrible grimace. His hands were bound in front of him and his legs were securely fastened.

With a strength that he didn't know that he had left, Leonardo jumped up onto his numb feet and kicked out at Karai. She went flying back into the wall. He rushed towards his little brother, giving a strangled cry as the chain kept him from going farther than a few feet.

"Subdue him!" Karai yelled at her two ninja as she stood up, rubbing the back of her head.

The two Foot leapt onto the enraged turtle. He tried to shake them off, but they held on tightly. Suddenly, one of them yanked on his dislocated arm. Filled excruciating pain, Leonardo saw stars and then the world went black before his eyes.

* * *

Raphael had never been so angry in his life. No one – absolutely no one – was allowed to mess with Mikey except for him and _sometimes_ his other brothers. Ignoring the Foot-techs, he ran around the corner, hoping to catch sight of the ninja who had taken his baby brother. Instead, there was another squadron of Foot standing there waiting for him. 

This was the straw that broke the turtle's back.

"DAMN YOU! DAMN ALL OF YOU! JUS' GET THE SHELL OUTA MY WAY NOW!!!"

He ran at the crowd of ninja. To his astonishment, those closest to him just moved out of his way. Raphael wondered what they were doing until he realized that it was all a trap. He was now in the very center of the swarm of Foot.

A ninja jumped onto his back and several more grabbed his arms. Raphael did his best to kick them off. Some of them went flying back, but for every one that let go, two more took its place. They managed to slowly force Raphael to the ground. With a slight flick of the wrist, Raphael resorted to throwing one of his sai into the face of one of the ninja holding his right arm. It collapsed and fell on top of the ninja that was holding down Raphael's neck. Despite the now-increased pressure there, Raphael continued to struggle, kicking out at his captors. A Foot Elite came and stood in front of him.

"Good night, turtle," it hissed.

A hard, blunt object struck Raphael on the head and he knew no more.

* * *

Michelangelo opened his eyes slowly, feeling like a great weight was pressing down on his face, making it almost impossible. Then, he realized it was because he was lying face down on a cold, metal floor. He tried to roll over, only to find that he felt so heavy that could barely even move. It was like some sort of enormous mass had settled down on top of him. He became conscious of the sound of two voices – one a woman's and the other metallic – talking nearby. 

"Just bring him here," she was saying. "What about the other one?"

"He fell out of the window, mistress. We assume he is dead."

"Assume nothing! Go out and check. Bring whatever is left of him, even if you have to scrape the remains off of the pavement!"

With a shock, Michelangelo suddenly recognized that the speaker was Karai. Giving a mighty effort, he rolled his head sideways so he could see. Karai was standing there with her back to him, speaking into her communicator. Leonardo was there also. It took Michelangelo a moment to understand that his brother's strange position was being forced by the long chain that attached him to the ceiling. Leo's head was lolling to the side and his eyes were closed tightly. He was covered in cuts and bruises and looked to be in pretty bad shape. For one agonizing second, Michelangelo was not even sure if Leonardo was alive. To his brother's great relief, the leader of the turtles let out a soft groan and moved his head slightly.

Karai, at the sound of the turtle's sigh, turned around and clicked the communicator back into her belt.

* * *

Donatello groaned while pushing himself up off of the ice cold pavement. An awning had broken his free fall, but the impact on the ground had still been enough to knock him out for a few moments. He rubbed his head groggily and tried to regain his bearings. He saw that his bo staff was lying just across the street so he limped over to retrieve it. Looking up to the window that he had been thrown from, he strained to see or hear any indication of what was happening back inside of Foot Headquarters. The entire building was eerily silent. The turtle gulped slightly. Silence anywhere near where a fight was supposed to be occurring was never a good sign. 

Suddenly out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of several Foot ninja leaving the building and heading towards him. Luckily, it seemed as though they hadn't seen him. Don hurried as softly as he could to a nearby alley and melted into the shadows behind a large dumpster.

_What are they searching for?_ Donatello wondered. He rapidly realized the answer. _They're searching for me!_

The Foot were now starting to spread out more and several came into the alley the turtle was hiding in. With wary eyes, Don watched them search and poke around the bags of trash that littered that area. They even checked inside of the dumpster. However, they miraculously skipped over looking behind the garbage containment unit. Apparently giving up, the black-clad ninja returned to the front of the alley. There, they were joined by several of their comrades. Huddling together, they were quickly involved in a deep discussion.

"I'm not telling the Mistress. You tell her."

Donatello watched in amusement as one of the Foot pressed an intercom device into the hands of another ninja.

"Nuh-uh. There is absolutely no way I am going to tell her. You tell her!"

The device was again passed to an unsuspecting victim. The ninja on the receiving end had a look of horror on its face that was very visible, even through the thick mask.

"You're kidding, right guys?"

The other ninja all crossed their arms and glared at him. The unfortunate Foot gulped audibly and activated the communicator.

"Umm…Mistress?" His voice wavered.

"What? Did you find him?" the feminine voice replied from the other end.

"Well, uh, not exactly."

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'NOT EXACTLY'?"

"He's not on the ground or anywhere else in the vicinity. We can't find a single trace of him."

"Then keep searching and alert a team to search inside. He must be found."

"Yes, Mistress."

The Foot ninja closed the intercom and turned to the others.

"Well, we all heard her. Let's go."

All of the ninja spread out, going in every direction except for down the alley.

Donatello waited for several minutes to make sure that no eyes were around to observe him exiting his hiding spot. He stood up and stretched, rubbing his sore leg. His bo ready in his hand, the turtle crept forwards and peeked around the corner. None of the Foot ninja were in sight. Looking up at the formidable fortress, he knew that he was probably the only one of his brothers who was free.

This was not going to be easy.

He reached into his belt and pulled out his Shell Cell. He was going to do what he had wanted to do all along. Again making sure that there were no Foot ninja anywhere near him, he pressed a seldom used button on his speed dial. The phone on the other end rang for a moment before being answered by a weary voice.

"Master Splinter? We have a problem."

* * *

_Please review. I know you're out there. Flames will be used to warm myself and everyone else who happens to still be cold!_


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N: OK, only one chapter and an epilogue left. Looks like I probably won't have it finished by Christmas, but it should be done soon afterwards. Now for some shout outs since I didn't have time to reply to everyone's wonderful reviews:_

_**authoroftherose and Eridani23:** Thanks! Your wish is my command! _;-)  
_**Moogs:** Yeppers. And it's got to get worse before it can get better!  
**Tera:** Oh wow. You really had me cracking up with your review! Thanks, I needed that.  
**Kyaserin Marii:** Ooh, that's a good idea._

_Thanks for reading, everyone. Here's the next chapter!_

**Disclaimer: I still don't own the turtles. But with Christmas coming up, I can hope, right?**

* * *

Pleased, Karai looked around the cell. She could see that her plan was coming together perfectly. Raphael and Leonardo were both unconscious – probably a good thing since they would be the ones to give her the most trouble – and although Michelangelo was obviously awake, he had barely even moved. 

All that was left was that pesky Donatello. In Karai's opinion, he was much too smart for his own good. He would be almost as hard to catch as Leonardo, simply because of his knowledge of all things electronic. All of her alarms would be merely playthings to him. Suddenly, a wonderfully devious thought popped into her mind. It was an idea that could save her much time and hassle.

She walked over to where Michelangelo was lying on the floor. Seeing the look in her eyes, the turtle whimpered slightly and shied away from her touch. Ignoring his reaction, she reached into his belt and pulled out his cell phone.

"Hey! Give that back!" Mikey cried hoarsely.

"No," Karai replied coolly as she flipped open the electronic device. "Now let's see who are on your contact list. Hmm, interesting," she mused, making a mental note of the various people with connections to the turtles that she hadn't known about.

At last, she found the person, or rather the _turtle_ that she had been searching for. Ignoring the protests from her only conscious captive, she activated the controls that said **Call** **Donatello**.

* * *

Donatello was in the middle of explaining everything that had happened to a very worried sensei when his call-waiting alarm began to buzz. He took a quick glance at the caller I.D. and was shocked to read who it was. 

"Hold on for a minute, Sensei. Mikey's trying to call me."

He switched over to his other line. The voice on the other end sent shivers down his spine.

"Donatello, you must surrender. I hold the lives of all three of your brothers in my palm. If you surrender now, I _may_ just let the four of you live out the rest of your lives as my captives. However, if you don't, then you have doomed your brothers and yourself, for you will be hunted you down if it is the last thing that the Foot Clan does."

The turtle instantly knew that Karai was lying about keeping the four brothers alive. It just wasn't something that she would _do_. And yet, what was he supposed to do with Karai holding his brothers hostage?

"How do I know you would let us live?"

"You don't." Her voice was smug. "But I can promise you that if you do not surrender, every one of you will die, starting with Michelangelo. You could say that there is a much higher possibility that he will live if you do as I say."

"I don't even know that you really have them," Donatello shot back. "For all I know, you could be trying to lure me into a trap to be used against them."

"Then I will show you."

A beep sounded on the turtle's phone, informing him that there was a video message waiting for him. He activated it. The sight made the blood drain from his face. All three of his brothers were there, each with varying degrees of injuries. Both Leonardo and Raphael were unconscious…or worse. Donatello refused to allow himself to think of the alternative. The video turned to Karai's face. Her voice was as cold as ice.

"You have proof now."

The video ended and his phone switched back to call mode.

"Hello? Hello? Karai! Answer me!"

He was met with only the hum of the dial tone and a beeping reminding him that he had someone on the other line. Realizing that Karai must have already hung up, he quickly flipped back to Master Splinter.

"Sensei?"

"Donatello, my son. Are you still there?"

He dreaded telling the rat what had just happened and briefly ran his hand along the top of his smooth, green head. His pause did not go unnoticed by the rat.

"What has happened?"

With a low sigh, Don tried to calm himself.

"Master, things just went from bad to worse."

* * *

Karai closed the Shell Cell with a sharp snap. Looking down at Michelangelo, she was surprised to see a look of absolute hate in his eyes. Venom was something that she had never associated with him, nor had she ever stopped to think whether he was capable of such an emotion. 

"Oh come, come, Michelangelo," she mocked. "Won't you be happy to see all of your family together again just in time for Christmas?"

The turtle only glared at her.

"My, my. Such hate in one so young. Don't you just love the rush of power that it gives you? Can't you feel the adrenaline that it pumps through your body? Isn't the warmth glorious?"

She walked over to where Leonardo was hanging and gently caressed his head. The turtle flinched as though he was touched by a burning brand.

"That is the only thing that has kept me going since you and your miserable brothers caused my father to be banished by those blasted Utroms. But in the end, it wasn't him that you destroyed."

She sighed softly, letting a brief flicker of emotion pass over her carefully composed face.

"It was me."

She turned away and checked on the condition of her other captives. Raphael was still out cold, but Leonardo was beginning to show some signs of regaining consciousness. For a very brief moment, she almost felt pity for the blue-clad turtle. She hastily pushed such thoughts to the far confines of her mind.

Michelangelo closed his eyes tightly as minutes ticked by at an agonizingly slow rate. He tried to draw on the normally endless supply of hope that was usually always bubbling up from his heart; but for some reason, it seemed completely out of reach. It was all he could do to force himself to believe that Donatello would be able to come up with something that would get them all out of there. He breathed in slowly, trying to push back the panic and the doubt. _Donnie will think of something. He ALWAYS thinks of something._

"I am telling the truth, you know," Karai said mostly just to break the deadening silence that had filled the frigid cell. "I will let all four of you live as my prisoners until you die. But _how_ you die will be up to me."

With his eyes closed, Mikey could just imagine the cruelty that was probably etching itself into his captor's face. He was determined to not give her the satisfaction of getting a reaction from him. The room again fell into silence, broken only by the soft humming of the cooling unit.

The signal on Karai's intercom beeped loudly, causing both her and Michelangelo to jump. She quickly whipped it out and activated it.

"Yes, what is it?"

"The last of the turtles just entered the base and surrendered."

Michelangelo's eyes shot open.

"No," he breathed sharply.

Karai glanced at him. The smug look had returned to her face.

"Bring him here," she ordered. "When he arrives, all we have worked for shall finally be realized. Let him walk under his own power, but keep his hands bound. I absolutely do _not_ want him escaping. Is that understood?"

"Y-yes, Mistress."

The ninja on the other end was obviously nervous. Karai kept her eyes trained on the youngest turtle as she gave her last order. She clicked off the communicator and let a wicked grin creep across her face. The hateful light in Michelangelo's eyes had gone out and was replaced with the dullness that marked despair. She began to advance towards the youngest turtle with malice written all across her features.

* * *

_So please review! I know you're there. Give a Christmas present (aka: a REVIEW!) to the happily-full-due-to-cookies writer! Flames will be used to warm up anyone who wants it._

_Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!_


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N: Wow, you guys are amazing! 8 reviews in one day. Thanks! Well, it looks like this fic will be done by Christmas after all. There's just this chapter and then the epilouge that I will have up tomorrow. Enjoy!_

**Disclaimer: I still don't own the TMNT or any of the other charachters. But I do think I might be getting a DVD for Christmas... ;-)**

* * *

Karai whirled around at the sound of a growl coming from behind her. Leonardo had regained consciousness and was glaring at her. His eyes were very fierce.

"Leave him alone, Karai. It was only because of _me_ that we snuck onboard the Shredder's ship. They were only following my lead. If anyone had wronged you, it was me. But the others, especially Mikey and Don, would have never done anything to you if it hadn't been for me. You can keep me here, but let them go."

"So that way the moment they are out of my sight they can try to rescue you again, Leonardo? I think not."

"I give you my word they will not—"

"What is a promise compared to family?" Karai interrupted. "I would break every promise that I ever made just to get my father back. No, your brothers would do the same."

Michelangelo watched them argue back and forth, realizing with dismay that Leo was trying to sacrifice himself so that his brothers could go free. _How very Leo-esque._ His oldest brother wasn't even telling the whole truth—it was actually because of Master Splinter that they had even known about the ship in the first place.

Engaged as they were, neither Leonardo nor Karai noticed the scuffle-like sounds coming from outside of the door. Michelangelo, however, did. For a brief moment, he let himself hope for a rescue. His hopes fell again when the noise stopped and there was a loud knock on the door.

Karai looked up and saw Donatello's face through the small, grated opening. She took a step towards the door and then stood, waiting for the final piece of her plan to fall into place.

"Enter."

The door opened and the last turtle, flanked on either side by a Foot, walked in.

"Good."

Karai rubbed her cold hands together, faintly aware that the room was starting to warm up slightly. She made a note to punish whatever fool had forgotten to follow her orders.

"Welcome to your doom, Donatello."

To her surprise, the turtle looked levelly at her without a trace of what was going on in his complicated mind.

"No, Karai, this is _your_ doom."

He easily slipped the ropes off of his wrists and punched at Karai's face. Astonished, she barely had enough time to duck out of the way. The two Foot ninja made no move to restrain the turtle.

"GUARDS! GRAB HIM!" she screamed.

However, the two Foot took no notice of her and rushed towards the other turtles. They pulled off their masks, revealing themselves to be none other than April O'Neil and Casey Jones.

Enraged, Karai drew her katana and tanto and swung at the turtle. He back-flipped out of her reach. From outside of the cell, his bo staff came flying into his waiting hand as Master Splinter stepped into view. The rat leaped over his son and landed squarely in Karai's stomach. She fell back heavily, tripping over Michelangelo's now-freed leg. She landed on the cold floor and twisted just enough to see Casey lifting the still-unconscious Raphael onto his shoulders. That blasted O'Neil girl had freed Leonardo and, even as injured as he was, he was running towards her. Karai leapt up and out of his way, accidentally leaving her tanto on the floor. Springing off of the wall, she soared over Splinter and Donatello's heads and landed just outside of the cell. She saw that both of her body guards and all of the Foot that had been stationed there had been knocked unconscious and were lying on the ground. This was getting to be much more than she could handle by herself. She pulled out her communicator and began to give an emergency call. Then, the world seemed as though it was moving in slow motion.

Leonardo picked up her tanto. He yelled for his Master and brother, who were both running at her, to duck out of the way. As they dropped to the floor, he threw the knife with deadly accuracy. Karai could do nothing but watch in morbid fascination as her own blade came hurtling towards her and embedded itself into her stomach. She looked down at it and then back at Leonardo. Yet another surprise. Sorrow and pity had filled his eyes as he watched her slowly crumple to the ground.

As her eyes closed, Leonardo collapsed forwards into the waiting arms of Donatello.

"I got you, bro," Don assured him.

"Thanks, Don." Leonardo balanced himself and stood back upright, looking proudly at his brother.

April helped Michelangelo pick himself up off of the floor. He suddenly hugged April tightly.

"Ape, you have no idea how glad I am to see you."

"Ugh…good to see you too, Mikey. Now how about letting me breath?"

"Oh, sorry."

The turtle stepped back awkwardly, rubbing the top of his head. He wobbled slightly and almost fell over. With a what-do-you-think-you're-doing look, April grabbed onto his arm and forced him to lean on her.

"Michelangelo," she teased, "I did not pick you up off of the floor just so that you could go back down to it."

The turtle gave her a huge grin.

"Umm, Donnie?" Casey cut in, still supporting Raphael. "Don'tchya think we've got ta get goin'?"

"Mister Jones is right, my sons," Master Splinter cut in. "Undoubtedly, more of the Foot will be coming very soon. We need to make our escape before they arrive."

"On it, Sensei."

Donatello pulled out a remote control from his belt. He pressed a few buttons. From the building above them, they could all hear loud rumblings followed by a loud explosion.

"Donnie? What's going on?" Michelangelo exclaimed, slightly panicked.

"It's just a distraction, Mikey," the scientific turtle replied calmly. He replaced the remote control in his belt. "However, I did set one charge well away from the main area so that we can have a nice, clear exit. There should be a big hole in the wall right now. However, it is on the floor above this one since, as I told you before, the Foot's dungeons are underground in the basement."

He stepped out into the hall, carefully avoiding Karai's limp form. Looking both ways to be sure that there was not another ambush waiting for them, Don motioned for his brothers, father, and friends to follow him down the hallway. With April supporting Michelangelo and Casey carrying Raphael fireman style, they began to quickly make their way towards an elevator that was located at the far end of the cell block. They reached it without any interference.

The doors slid open and they all stepped in. As the doors closed behind them, Donatello noticed for the first time that Leonardo was gently cradling his left arm. Rapidly glancing over his brother's body, he realized that his oldest brother was in much worse shape than either of his other brothers.

"Are you okay, Leo?"

"I'll be better when we're out of here."

Only Casey failed to notice that the Leonardo had avoided answering the question.

The elevator reached its destination and, with a _ding_, the doors slid back open. Two Foot soldiers were standing there, apparently waiting for the elevator. They seemed to be just as surprised to see the turtles and their allies in the elevator as everyone in the elevator was to see the enemy ninja. Before anyone could blink, Master Splinter had leapt out and smacked both of the Foot ninja in the head with his walking stick. After a moment, they collapsed on either side of him.

Warily for fear of being discovered by more of the Foot, they followed Donatello through what seemed like a labyrinth of hallways. At last, they reached a gaping hole in the wall. Master Splinter stepped through it first and sniffed the air.

"There is no one nearby for the time being, but we must hurry. It will not be long before the Foot Clan discovers that it is missing its Mistress."

As the others joined him on the snow-covered sidewalk, Donatello pulled out yet another remote from his belt. He pressed a red button. A minute later, the Battle Shell came rumbling up on the street in front of them. April slid into the driver's seat while everyone else piled into the back. Casey gently laid Raphael down in the middle. As the Battle Shell pulled forwards, Donatello began making a quick medical diagnostic. Taking a flashlight from a nearby compartment, he shone it into the unconscious turtle's eyes one at a time.

"Well?" Leonardo asked.

"He seems to have a concussion. It's probably a Grade V, judging by how long he's been out. After he wakes up, he'll have a massive headache but he should be fine after a couple of days of rest."

As if to prove his brother's words, Raphael's eyes flickered open.

"Welcome back, Raphie-boy!" Michelangelo exclaimed jubilantly.

"How are you feeling?" Donatello asked.

"Like m'head got a roof dropped on it. Where are we?"

"We're going home, Raph," Leonardo answered, relief seeping into his voice. "We're going home."

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_Please review! Flames will be used to make the frosting on my cinnamon roll get all melty and gooey. You can have a digital roll if you review!_


	9. Epilogue

_A/N: Well, this is the last. You have all been totally awesome, and to everyone who reviewed: YOU TOTALLY ROCK! MAJOR THANKS!!! Yes, I am perfectly aware that this is really short, but oh well. I think you'll like it anyway. Again, a huge thanks to everyone!_

**Disclaimer: Still in the end, I don't own anything. Rather sad, isn't it?**

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December 24, 20—

Well, after our harrowing adventure, it seems like everything is back to normal. After a day of lying on the couch, Raph refused to sit still any longer and resumed his training, even though Donnie specifically told him that he couldn't fight again for the rest of the week. He was sure mad when he found out that he missed everything that happened during the escape. It was almost funny to watch his reaction.

With my arm and the various cuts now all bandaged (which Mikey keeps telling me makes me look like a mummy), I have also started training again despite Don's death-glares telling me that I need to hold still. It never ceases to amuse me to see how alike Raph and I are, but you could never get me to admit it out loud.

I don't think I've ever been more proud of Donnie than lately. Dressing Casey and April as Foot was a stroke of genius on his part. That is something that I would have never thought of. I can't imagine what I'd do without him.

Mikey seems to be doing all right, though he's been acting a bit down. I'm starting to wonder what Karai said to him while I was out if it. I should have been there for him. Come to think of it,if it wasn't for me, none of this would have happened. This means some definite cold-weather training. I can't let that ever happen to my brothers again. I need to come up with some way to make it up to them. Blast that witch…

I'm finding myself feeling actually sorry for Karai. Sometimes I wonder if I would become like she did if my family was taken away from me. Sometimes I wonder…if had Master Splinter been evil, then would I have followed him like Karai followed the Shredder? Such a thought almost scares me.

I couldn't imagine life without my family. Right now, they're all downstairs decorating the lair for Christmas tomorrow. I can just imagine that Mikey and Raph are trying to get April and Casey under the mistletoe again. It will probably be much easier this year since they're finally dating each other. It's about time. I wonder how much longer it will be before they get married…but I digress.

So now, I'm going to end my entry for today, hide this book so that Mikey can't find it, and go join my family doing whatever it is they want to do. After all, it's almost Christmas. But even so, I don't think that there's anyplace that I would rather be than here at home, surrounded by those that I love.

_Christmas Eve has found me  
Where I love to be  
'Cause I am home for Christmas  
Beneath the NYC_

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Well, this is the last, so please review, even if you've only been reading up to this point (because I know you're there). Flames will be used to light the fire in the fireplace.

Hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and a great New Year! Keep a look out for the sequel (called 'Resolutions') that should be coming out sometime before New Years Day! 


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